SHREVEPORT – The pace of change in the business environment has increased rapidly with the explosion of artificial intelligence.
As businesses look for opportunities to leverage AI technical expertise, what can be overlooked is how important interpersonal skills remain to successful communication, both in professional and personal relationships.
LSUS is hosting the Human Advantage 2026 Summit, a professional development initiative designed to assist rising professionals in developing and enhancing human skills by harnessing the power of AI.
“Employers are having core issues with communications, confrontation, having tough conversations, resiliency, and appropriate workplace behaviors,” said Leigh Anne Chambers, who is LSUS’s Chief Extension Officer and leads the university’s Division of Continuing Education. “And the stories across industries are the same.”
The summit, which is organized by the LSUS College of Business and the LSUS Division of Continuing Education, is in response to local employer feedback and will offer practical tips for using AI to develop the human skill that employers value.
The Oct. 16 event is a half-day summit (9-12:30 p.m. in the LSUS Ballroom) that combines professional insight and LSUS business faculty expertise with interactive breakout sessions aimed at participants applying what they’ve learned.
Conference tickets are $49 with advance registration and includes lunch.
Keynote speaker Matthew Hammock, an LSUS business alumnus, will delve into his personal story about how meaningful relationships and professional problem solving helped him build his career at the Shreveport-Bossier Sports Commission.
But Hammock will also touch on how effective AI use can assist professionals in authentic communication without losing the “human touch.”
The summit will also feature breakout sessions led by Hammock, LSUS business faculty, and LSUS Career Services.
Dr. Mary Lois White, Dean of the College of Business, said while interpersonal skills are part of the LSUS Business curriculum, students need additional opportunities to apply these skills in real-world situations.
“We get excellent feedback from employers that our students are well-equipped with academic knowledge in the disciplines they studied,” White said. “But for a variety of reasons, many students haven’t had enough opportunities to engage in those professional human interactions that are essential for success in the workplace.
“One of the hallmarks of a high quality, AACSB-accredited business education is that students engage with the business community. And this summit provides an opportunity for students, young professionals, and employers to interact, while also focusing on developing interpersonal skills.”
In an age of artificial intelligence, interpersonal skills and human relationships can be an area of separation for candidates seeking jobs in a tightening labor market.
“For the longest time, we’ve focused a lot of our educational support around technology literacy training,” Chambers said. “The interesting thing that’s coming out because of AI is that while a lot of stuff is becoming more automated on which we’ve grown technical dexterity or literacy, what cannot be replaced is that human component.
“That human component is the ability to judge, the ability to relate, and the ability to communicate.”
AI can even assist in having difficult human conversations.
That’s the focus of one breakout session from Dr. Stephanie Dunn, a management instructor.
Dunn insists that participants shouldn’t use AI to do the communicating, but AI can help prepare for a difficult conversation and think through the conflict.
Another breakout session involves actually having that tough workplace conversation, led by LSUS associate business dean Dr. Rebecca Bogie.
This session covers active listening, calming tense conversations, writing with the right tone, and responding to pushback.
“Having our faculty leverage their expertise for the enrichment of the community is important to us,” White said. “Collaborating with LSUS Continuing Education to offer this type of experience is beneficial because we both engage the business community in different ways to learn about their needs.
“Business leaders can also come back and engage with us and the business community at summits like these. While this summit is targeted at entry-level professionals, we will see a fair amount of managers attend because they want to learn more about skills they can bring back to their team.”
